Yakuza 4 Heads West

SEGA has confirmed it will release Yakuza 4 in Europe and North America this coming spring for PlayStation 3. The company stated it plans to showcase the game at E3 in Los Angeles next week.

This news will certainly please long-time fans of the series, including IGN's own Greg Miller, who proclaimedSEGA would be "the dumbest company on the face of the planet" if Yakuza 4 wasn't brought to North America.

Well buddy, you got your wish.

Yakuza 4 won't just center on series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu this time around. Players will also explore the Japanese underworld with three new characters, which include Masayoshi Tanimura, Shun Akiyama, and Taiga Saejima.

The game was originally released in Japan last March under the title Ryu ga Gotoku 4. SEGA recently localized and released Yakuza 3 in North America on March 9, 2010.